What is a bilirubin test?

To discover the actual cause of a raised blood bilirubin it is necessary to measure other things such as the blood levels of liver enzymes...

03/09/2014

Question

Please can you tell me what the Billy Reubens' blood test is supposed to check for?

What does it mean if the levels are said to be higher than normal?

Answer

Thank you for this question.

Bilirubin is produced by the liver and other cells in the body as they break down the red blood cells, in particular the haemoglobin component.

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Bilirubin then drains from the liver in the bile through the common bile duct into the upper part of the intestine.

Higher than normal levels of bilirubin in the blood suggest that either larger amounts than usual are being produced through unusually high levels of blood breakdown called haemolysis, or that the normal drainage of bile containing bilirubin is being prevented.

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